Television signal distribution systems typically broadcast television signals to individual users or subscribers on a plurality of individual television channels. The channels may be modulated onto one or more carrier frequencies within a discernable frequency band. With digital television signals, each discernable frequency band may consist of one or more programs of video, audio, and data content that is digitally encoded.
Typically, a television viewer intentionally and explicitly invokes a tuning action to select a program of choice. This is a conscious decision, based on selecting a specific channel number or a textual description of a channel's content provided in an integrated electronic interactive program guide. This generic content broadcast and viewer content selection paradigm is widely deployed and accepted.
Utilizing this paradigm, it is difficult to create program content where the users feel as if they were an active part of the process. That is, the user's involvement is passive; the user does not have the sensation or illusion of participating in the events displayed on the television, and cannot interact with the any aspect of the event. The user is merely a silent observer.
The present invention is provided to solve the problems discussed above and other problems, and to provide advantages and aspects not provided by prior systems and methods of this type. A full discussion of the features and advantages of the present invention is deferred to the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.